Sunday, March 28, 2010

A Hodge Podge of This and That!

Last week I made the trip east to visit with YGGG#1 to spend some time after a long and cold winter. I had been trying to get there for over a month in between snow and ice storms. Finally, the great day time arrived and I got on the road quick! One short break in Ogallalla, Nebraska to check out my favorite store for Memorial Day flowers. They always have a great selection so I loaded the car with bunches of beautiful poppies and roses. When YGGG #1 and I get together in Mid May before our Salt Lake trip, we will spend 2 days decorating all our family graves in Box Butte county. We have nearly 30 to attend in three cemeteries. What a job- but what an honor!

My next stop was North Platte, Nebraska. Just in time for lunch and then..SHOPPING. Grannie one suggested we go right away to the quilt shop as she knew I had been waiting to get there. Somehow she blames me for all the shopping, but since I don't get to a good place to shop very often it is fun to go and besides she does not complain much. She follows (or maybe leads) and off we go. New material, new books, flowers, sewing notions, craft stuff, clothes, purses. Two old grannies sure can have fun and spend money. The only time genealogy comes in second is when we go into shopping mode for a few hours. My dog, Babee, who went along for the trip only managed to get into trouble a couple times while we shopped. New venetian blinds will be in order for YGGG one now. Hope the dog can get a job to pay for them!

We surely are starting to show our age though. What a nuisance..we had to stop and rest often, but only after several hours and many miles on foot. Grannie one propped up her new knee and I rested my back. I got a 2:30 boost of "5 hour energy", which wound me up and I was good to go again. We got out the research notebooks, hit the computer library catalog and were off and running until late night, every night for a week. The notebooks are now bursting with new ancestors and records to find at the FHL in May. Eleven at night came fast every evening and it was time to read a bit, before the "day" was gone and we had to start all over again. The monthly meeting of the North Platte genealogy society, watching WDYTYA on Friday night and The Generations Project on Monday, and even more shopping rounded out my stay in North Platte. Two old granny sisters-in-law sure can make work but we do have great fun!

Back home this week has brought more challenges to get all my research done for my notebook to take to the Libraries. YGGG #1 helped me to line up some areas to search, now I must get busy and peruse all the good websites for helpful clues before we leave to head west. Go Hubby isn't getting much for homemade meals these days either as I am just to darn busy! At least that is what I tell him. I have been trying to get him to write another story for my personal blog: Those Old Memories. It will save me time and besides, he gets better reviews (and comments) than I do! Will I ever get it all done in time? It's just get up and go to bed and the day is gone. Do any other genealogists or wives ever get caught up?

While organizing my research stuff, I have spent some more time on a great site for Swedish researching. I have been here before but thought some of you might like to check this one out if you are into Swedish research, especially within Skaraborgs Län and specifically around theFalköping area. Annelie Jonsson has a really great site, Emigrant.se and she is very involved with GenealogyWise and the Swedish groups with helpful advise. Late night dates with several great state web sites have kept me occupied too. A nice cup of white hot chocolate and left over Valentine truffles have rounded out my "dream" dates. The clues of more names and places to follow up with have just been the wonderful bonuses!

A busy month ahead for sure. I will give a small program at our local genealogy society meeting in April on the use of the various census records. That will be fun but I must get the power point done soon so I can get back to my ancestors. Our oldest Granddaughter will graduate in May in Topeka, Kansas so Go Hubby and I will travel east for that event. We are anxious to see all 8 grandchildren and spend a couple precious days with family. Our son will leave his family at home in Kansas and come back to Alliance with us after graduation.YGGG, Ruby, will be here the next day. Son, Jason, is going to help the YGGG's do cemetery work early and see us off towards Salt Lake City on the 22nd of May. He will house and dog sit for me for the two and half weeks that the YGGGs will be in Salt Lake City. While Go Hubby is working, Jason will do some fix up things around here for us. He and his Dad will have a little time together to take a "bike" ride and do some gardening and house painting --all while I play at the Family History Library. Yea!

Finally a nice day today, spring may actually be heading our way. Wish I could play but alas must get back to work on my notebook. All of this and that keeps coming to mind. Dreaming of the future trip to Loveland, Colorado for the Family History Expo, where I have been and where I need to go. Next stops: websites for Tippah County, Mississippi and Carroll County, Tennessee. Those Hopkins and Henleys are waiting in the wings.

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We invite you to visit our blog often. We will add newsworthy events that happen in the genealogy world as well as talk about fun places and events that we encounter during our travels. Having fun is our main goal while searching out those incredible little "ancestral tidbits" that so often want to stay hidden from us. We look forward to sharing our adventures with you!

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Ruby Coleman, blog partner

Professional genealogist for over 25 years. Instructor of genealogy classes and designer of E-learning genealogy CD's. Lecturer at state and national conferences. Genealogy writer. Mother of two and Grandmother of two. I reside in North Platte, Nebraska.

Cheri Hopkins, blog partner

Retired from owning a sporting good business for 32 years. I now own my own photo business "CHERISHED PHOTO REFLECTIONS", I do photo restorations and Family Remembrance Art. I love history, genealogy research, reading, and collecting old photos. Travel, research and some lecturing also keep me busy. Mother of two and Grandmother of ten. I reside in Alliance, Nebraska.